Winter, coldest season of the year, between autumn and spring; the name comes from an old Germanic word that means "time of water” and refers to the rain and snow of winter in middle and high latitudes. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is commonly regarded as extending from the winter solstice (year’s shortest day), December 21 or 22, to the vernal equinox (day and night equal in length), March 20 or 21, and in the Southern Hemisphere, from June 21 or 22 to September 22 or 23. The low temperatures associated with winter occur only in middle and high latitudes; in equatorial regions, temperatures are almost uniformly high throughout the year. 

    The concept of winter in European languages is associated with the season of dormancy, particularly in relation to crops; some plants die, leaving their seeds, and others merely cease growth until spring. Many animals also become dormant, especially those that hibernate; numerous insects die.

    Winter is the coldest season of the year and it is a part of the main seasons found in the temperate zone. In general, winter is characterized by having minimum temperatures and the days of the shortest duration. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter is from winter solstice to vernal equinox.

    

    Duration of Winter :

    The official start of the month of winter is different in various cultures and locations. According to recent meteorology the winter months are December, January and February for the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere they are June, July and August. Even so, many European and East Asian nations regard November as the start of the winterseason. The Celtic countries consider November 1 as the beginning of winter whereas according to the Chinese calendar it is from November 7.

    

    Features of Winter:

    • The winter nights are usually very long and the days are short.

    • In certain areas, there is extremely high precipitation in the form of snowfall and some places remain permanently covered with snow.

    • In places where there are blizzards or winter storms a lot of transportation problems are faced.

    • Ice fog is a rare atmospheric phenomenon, in which suspension of ice crystals is formed in the air. This happens only at temperatures that follow below -30°C.

    

    The meteorologists tell that winter starts when the average temperature of day and night drops below zero and ends when the average temperature rises above this limit. In Kajaani district winter season lasts almost six months and in Lapland even seven months.

    The weathers in autumn change all the time, winter comes and goes but near Christmas the winter takes over. Because seas and rivers are long ice-free there are often thaws in the early winter. Anyhow, years are not brothers with each others.